Open surgeries often require a surgeon to make sizable incisions to a patient's body in order to have adequate visual and physical access to the site requiring treatment. The application of laparoscopy for performing procedures, such as abdominal procedures, marks a paradigm shift in general surgery. Laparoscopic surgeries are performed using small incisions in the abdominal wall and inserting a small endoscope into the abdominal cavity and transmitting the images captured by the endoscope onto a visual display. The surgeon can thus see the abdominal cavity without making a sizable incision in the patient's body, reducing invasiveness and providing patients with the benefits of reduced trauma, shortened recovery times, and improved cosmetic results. In addition to the endoscope, laparoscopic surgeries are performed using long, rigid tools inserted through incisions in the abdominal wall. However, conventional techniques and tools for performing laparoscopic procedures can limit the dexterity and vision of the surgeon. Given the size of the incisions, the maneuverability of the tools is limited and additional incisions may be required if an auxiliary view of the surgical site is needed. In addition, the typical location of the visual display necessitates the surgeon gazing in an upward and frontal direction. The visual acuity of the surgeon may also be limited by the two-dimensional video display. These constraints in both dexterous ability and vision limit the application of laparoscopic techniques to less complicated procedures.
Another method currently used in minimally invasive surgeries relates to translumenal procedures. Traditional translumenal procedures utilize modified conventional endoscopic tools. However, these modified endoscopic tools present constraints similar to laparoscopic tools, including a diminished visual field and the use of a two-dimensional visual display. Also, because the endoscopic tools must be flexible along their length in order to access the body cavity through a natural orifice, they present the additional challenges of determining and maintaining spatial orientation. In addition, tissue manipulations are limited due to the necessity of applying force along the axis of the endoscope.
Thus, there is a need in the art for improved, minimally invasive surgical devices.